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Despite Negative Reception NStar Poles Are Here to Stay

The Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday approved the new NStar poles that have already been installed along Island roads, but attached several conditions for future projects.

NStar’s installation of 44 new utility poles and 282 replacement poles that were taller and wider than previous poles raised concerns around the Island early last summer. The town of Tisbury referred the project to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission as a development of regional impact (DRI).

At earlier meetings, the commission took NStar to task for failing to meet with towns before making the changes and doing the work during the busy summer months. Some also criticized the quality of the utility company’s tree-trimming work near their power lines.

During earlier meetings, NStar said they did not think the commission has jurisdiction over their work. They said the process is permitted by state law.

NStar said the new utility poles were necessary to accommodate new, larger electrical equipment to provide adequate service on the Island.

The commission approved the poles with several conditions, including that NStar should consult with Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Tisbury in the next year to work on landscaping and that NStar should work with towns on a case-by-case basis when it comes to ongoing maintenance and minor projects.

At least twice a year, the commission stated, NStar’s community relations officer should meet with an MVC/NStar working group “to improve ongoing communications and collaboration with respect to Island-wide and longer-term issues.”

Executive director Mark London said the commission’s discussion was focused on the future and not the existing poles. “We’re talking about not the poles that have just been installed. We’ve been talking about how we are going to move forward over the next 20 years to better coordinate between the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the towns and NStar.”

Representatives from NStar did not attend Thursday’s meeting.

The commission added that NStar should relocate utility poles on Beach street to the other side of the street. They also approved a motion from commissioner Lenny Jason Jr. to ask NStar to dedicate two fiber optic lines from new submarine cables to fulfill the Open Cape and Island initiative. NStar has said in the past that they would not do so.

The vote was unanimous.

In other business, the commission debated the rules for participation in commission meetings.

The commission agreed to ask counsel to look into a procedure that would allow members who missed a public hearing to watch a video of the hearing and thus remain qualified to vote on the matter. Under existing rules, commission members who miss a public hearing on a DRI cannot vote on the project.

Several commissioners said the procedure would help with regard to public hearings that span a long period of time where it can be hard to maintain a quorum for several months or longer. Others said they did not think watching a video was an adequate alternative to attending the hearing.

“I missed the hearing last week and I am now disqualified for participating in [the Stop & Shop decision] . . . I am very upset about that and I think that I could be a fully qualified commissioner to participate in that hearing if I could view that [video]. I can’t imagine that I would not be as qualified as every other commissioner.”

The commission voted to refer the idea to counsel. They were less keen on the idea of allowing commissioners to participate in meetings remotely through speakerphone or Skype, citing technology concerns and awkwardness for the public attending the hearings.

Others said it would be a good idea for commissioners who cannot come to a meeting to join in on deliberations or discussions.

The commissioners present voted 6-6 on the matter, and agreed to take it up at a later time.

The commission also paused for a debate over the spelling of Clarence A. Barnes 3rd’s nickname, Trip. “Is it one p or two?” commissioner Doug Sederholm asked. Mr. Barnes, who was in attendance, said he did not have a preference.

Mr. London asked for clarification from reporters from the Martha’s Vineyard Times and the Vineyard Gazette. The Times reporter said two p’s and the Gazette reporter said one.

“It’s settled, one and a half p’s” said Mr. London.

DRI coordinator Paul Foley then pointed out that Mr. Barnes’s website spells his name as Trip. The matter was settled — Trip-with-one-p.

Comments (12)

Skip, OB

1. During earlier meetings, NStar said they did not think the commission has jurisdiction over their work. They said the process is permitted by state law.
2. Representatives from NStar did not attend Thursday’s meeting.
3. It seems the MVC is participating in a soliloquy. So no doubt more ugly poles to come? Many thanks MVC

Yes, Edg-WT Rd is next. Yesterday I filmed a massive pole being raised (on a Sunday morning!) across from Morning Glory Farm. And it's by no means just the poles; it's the wires. I live in VH, work in Edg, and my daughter goes to the OB School, so I'm driving around down-Island always. And walk a lot, too. The assault on the senses is deplorable and tragic. Yeah, thanks MVC. The towns, too.

The pole you saw being raised a few feet higher than the existing ones will provide you with electricity the next time we have severe weather. You forgot to mention that the pole was a lot shorter than that ugly obtrusive windmill that is a blight on the view of many homeowners, while providing them with zero benefit.

Approving these massive poles is a huge mistake. They are ugly, do not fit the island aesthetic and the wires should have been installed underground. In our climate with the increasing storms with very high winds, underground is where wires should be.
We all have to follow zoning and building codes: why can large monopoly utilities get away with anything they want to?
I am disappointed that there was no oversight and then just a rubber stamp of the mess they have created. Really poor!

Utility and communication companies have the government law on their side for National security purposes, so I was told be it right or wrong or whatever other reason. There are organizations who are trying to change laws so that we the people have more say but you never hear about these people because the law of the universe is Ying/Yang . There are as many people who do not want change as there are who do. We can have all the town meetings in the world or take the Green Peace approach and throw ourselves in the holes, and the outcome will be the same, a tall fat pole surrounded by lop sided trees. Underground (being expensive) will bring an argument about money. It is a stalemate. Maybe as an Island people we all need to MARCH and go to the air waves to have our voices heard, of course that's not going to happen. Very frustrating!

My God, you should listen to yourselves. Words like "ugly", deplorable", "tragic", "we all need to MARCH" should be ascribed to the plight of single mothers, abused elderly, battered women, homeless children and the hungry, not to power poles 10 feet taller than their predecessors. Politically I am by no means a bleeding heart, but each of you should be ashamed! This is where you place your outrage and social conscience—tall power poles? Perhaps most unfortunate, is that you don’t see your comments as absurd. Tall power poles are not “tragic”.

Regarding Mr. Barnes "handle".
Some call him "Trip".
Others call him "Trippy".
That may be where the confusion has its root.
One P should be the preferred usage in the "Trip" version, because there are two-P Tripp families on the Vineyard, and you would not want people to think that a Barnes is a Tripp, even though some think Trippy IS a trip.
You've got to have two P's in the "Trippy" version of the name, otherwise you'd get "Tripy", which has intestinal implications.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go P.

The big loss here isn't the larger poles which will "disappear" quickly, but the fact the MVC didn't focus on getting fiber runs over the Island. Not having fiber connectivity to the internet is going to really effect education, business and life on the Island in the years to come.

You all should be happy and thankful that NSTAR is upgrading the infrastructure on this Island. Remember the storm called Sandy!! At least the money we pay for our electric bill is being re-invented back into our community. Thank you NSTAR!!!!!!!!!!